Other Life Sciences Commons^™

Factors Influencing Primate Hair Microbiome Diversity, Catherine Kitrinos

Masters Theses

Primate hair is both a substrate upon which essential social interactions occur and an important host-pathogen interface. As commensal microbes provide important immune functions for their hosts, understanding the microbial diversity in primate hair could provide insight into primate immunity and disease transmission. While studies of human hair and skin microbiomes show differences in microbial communities across body regions, little is known about the nonhuman primate hair microbiome. In this study, we collected hair samples (n=159) from 8 body regions across 12 nonhuman primate species housed at 3 US institutions to examine 1) the diversity and composition of the primate …

I. The High Strain Rate Response Of Hollow Sphere Steel Foam; Ii. The Dynamic Response Of An American Elm Tree, Ignacio Cetrangolo

Masters Theses

PART I

Hollow-sphere (HS) steel foam is a relatively new material whose cellular morphology and material properties qualify it as a metallic foam. This is an innovative foam-like material that exhibits high stiffness paired with low relative densities. Technological advancements in the past few decades have enabled the manufacturing of this material by a sintering process and, as a result, research has begun to accelerate as a multi-school collaboration effort for this particular work. Even though commercialization has been a challenge for metallic foams, it is imperative that researchers continue to prove and promote the advantages of metallic foams despite …

Intercanine Distance Used As A Measure To Rule Out Biters In Bite Mark Forensics, Alana Joy Scudiere Ohana

Masters Theses

The science of identification by bite mark analysis has recently been called into serious question. (Reesu and Brown 2016) Human dentition is truly variable, but often not unique. When animal bites are considered, a proper ID of the perpetrator is nearly impossible. Primary distortion (when the bite is made) and secondary distortion (during decomposition or healing) both further disrupt landmarks that might be used for identification. (Sheasby and MacDonald 2001) Using only ink marks and intercanine distance on live subjects, this study attempts to determine maximum distortion possible for a variety of bite mark locations on skin. (Pretty and Sweet …

Ecological Consequences Of Lost Anadromous Forage Fish In Freshwater Ecosystems, Steven R. Mattocks

Masters Theses

Beginning in the early 1600s, dam construction in New England obstructed anadromous fish access to spawning grounds during migration. As a result, anadromous forage fish populations have declined, which has impacted freshwater, marine, and terrestrial ecosystems. To determine the impacts of dams on anadromous forage fish and freshwater ecosystems, I used historical and current data to estimate population changes in alewives (Alosa pseudoharengus) from 1600-1900. A significant reduction in spawning habitat occurred in New England as a result of 1,642 dams constructed between 1600 and 1900, resulting in 14.8% and 16.6% lake and stream habitat remaining by 1900, …

Geographic Distribution And Genetic Diversity Of Bakernema Inaequale, Kimberly Joanna Noce Whitlock

Masters Theses

Plant-parasitic nematodes of the family Criconematidae (ring nematodes) are distributed worldwide. Although several species are significant pathogens of turf and fruit crops, they reach their greatest diversity in natural systems. Ring nematodes are an important component of various soil habitats, and several criconematid species often are present in a soil sample. One of the most distinctive ring nematodes is the heavily fringed Bakernema inaequale, endemic to eastern North America. This nematode has been found as far north as Ontario, Canada, and up to the present, as far south as Grundy County, Tennessee. This research focused on determining the geographic …

Northern Bobwhite (Colinus Virginianus) Habitat Selection On A Reclaimed Surface Mine In Western Kentucky, Ashley Marie Unger

Masters Theses

Reclaimed mines present an opportunity to provide large tracts of habitat for northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus). Reclaimed mine sites are commonly planted to non–native species, including sericea lespedeza (Lespedeza cuneata) and tall fescue (Schedonorus phoenix), which can inhibit growth of more desirable plant species and limit favorable structure for bobwhite. Although bobwhite are found on reclaimed mine sites, there have been no studies documenting how bobwhites use various vegetation types common to reclaimed mine land. Habitat use studies can provide information on how bobwhite select vegetation types on these landscapes and help direct future …

Tillage, Cover Crop And Nitrogen Fertilization Effects On Soil Microbial Carbon Dynamics Under Long-Term Cotton Production, Molefi Jacob Mpheshea

Masters Theses

Effective soil management requires a deeper understanding of how internal soil carbon (C) works. This is vital as cycling is tightly linked with nutrient cycling processes. This study evaluated the effect of agronomic practices including tillage (no-till and tilled), cover crops (no cover, hairy vetch - Vicia villosa L, and winter wheat - Triticum aestivum. L ) and different N fertilizer rates ( 0, 34 and 101 kg N per hectare ) on soil microbial C dynamics as measured by soil microbial biomass C (SMBC) along with soil microbial respiration over the 2013 cotton growing season at Jackson, West …

Population Dynamics Of The Louisiana Black Bear In The Upper Atchafalaya River Basin, Kaitlin Christine O'Connell

Masters Theses

The Louisiana black bear (Ursus americanus luteolus) is listed as Threatened under the Endangered Species Act as a result of habitat loss and human-related mortality. Two of the 3 sub-populations must be viable for delisting to occur. I collected hair samples from 2010 to 2012 in a DNA mark-recapture study to augment data collected from 2007 to 2009 in the Upper Atchafalaya River Basin (UARB) to estimate abundance (N), growth rate (λ), and apparent survival rates (φ) to ultimately be used in a population viability analysis. In addition, I evaluated the effects of the opening of the …

Rutting Behavior And Factors Influencing Vehicle Collisions Of White-Tailed Deer In Middle Tennessee, Peyton Seth Basinger

Masters Theses

White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus; deer) and human populations have expanded, and as a result, deer-vehicle collisions (DVCs) have become a primary concern. In particular, Arnold Air Force Base (AAFB) in Tullahoma, Tennessee, USA has had extensive problems with DVCs and has struggled to incorporate effective mitigation strategies. To address this issue, I initiated a study on AAFB to investigate deer behavior and factors increasing the likelihood of DVCs.

DVCs typically increase with peaks in deer activity during the breeding season (rut). I deployed GPS-ARGOS satellite collars on 10 adult males and 10 females during the summer of 2010. …

Estimating Population Parameters Of The Louisiana Black Bear In The Upper Atchafalaya River Basin, Carrie Lynne Lowe

Masters Theses

In 1992, the Louisiana black bear (Ursus americanus luteolus) was granted threatened status under the Endangered Species Act primarily because of extensive habitat loss and fragmentation. Currently, the Louisiana black bear is restricted to 3 relatively small, disjunct breeding subpopulations located in the Tensas River Basin of northeast Louisiana, the upper Atchafalaya River Basin (ARB) of south-central Louisiana, and coastal Louisiana. The 1995 Recovery Plan mandates research to determine the viability of the remaining subpopulations. I conducted a capture-mark-recapture study during 2007–2009 to estimate population parameters for the ARB bear subpopulation by collecting hair samples (n = …

Subjective Social Status And Youth’S Body Mass Index And Perceived Weight, Jennifer Renee Phagan

Masters Theses

To date there are no studies focusing on the relationship between subjective social status (SSS) and weight perceptions among young people. This study aims to fill this gap in current available literature by examining associations between youth’s family SSS and individual SSS with their gender, race, body mass index (BMI), and weight perceptions. Questionnaires and BMI data were collected from 1,171 youth participating in the 2008 Global Finals of Destination ImagiNation (DI) hosted by the University of Tennessee. Participants ranged in ages 11 to 18 years. Regression analyses indicated that gender, race and individual SSS were significant predictors of BMI. …

Efficacy Of Dna Sampling To Monitor Population Abundance Of Black Bears In The Southern Appalachians, Katie E. Settlage

Masters Theses

The American black bear (Ursus americanus) in the southern Appalachians has been the subject of intensive research. In particular, the focus has been on population monitoring using livecapture, bait stations, harvest records, and radio-active feces tagging. Genetic (DNA) sampling for mark-recapture is an emerging technique for estimating population abundance, but the efficacy of various sampling regimes for estimating populations of different densities has not been established. I conducted a pilot study to determine whether genetic sampling for population estimation is feasible to monitor black bear abundance in the southern Appalachians and to develop appropriate sampling regimes to obtain …

Evaluation Of Aquatic Macroinvertebrates Available To Wintering Waterfowl In Managed And Natural Wetlands In Western Tennessee, Michael Shelton Whittington

Masters Theses

Aquatic and wetland invertebrates are important protein sources for wintering waterfowl in the Lower Mississippi River Alluvial Valley (LMAV). Few studies have evaluated winter invertebrate abundance patterns in the LMAV, particularly in Western Tennessee. I examined aquatic macroinvertebrate biomass, density, and diversity in beaver ponds, moist soil units and flooded, harvested soybean fields in Western Tennessee. Moist soil units and flooded soybean fields are common wetland practices on public lands in Western Tennessee. Beaver ponds offer natural habitat that is greatly increasing in the southeastern United States (Arner and Hepp1989). The objective of this study was to compare invertebrate abundance …

Effectiveness Of Native Grassland Restoration In Restoring Grassland Bird Communities In Tennessee, Scott Allen Dykes

Masters Theses

Grassland bird populations have declined more than any other group of birds over the last 37 years, based on Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) data (Hunter et al. 2001, Sauer et al. 2003). In Tennessee, significant effort is underway to restore native grasslands through partnerships between Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and private landowners. This partnership has put thousands of hectares of native grasslands back on the Tennessee landscape. It is unknown, however, whether there has been a positive response by grassland birds to this restored habitat. Furthermore, the restoration has …

The Movements And Reproductive Success Of Re-Introduced Darters In The Pigeon River, Tn, Virginia Anne Harrison

Masters Theses

The Pigeon River has a history of degraded water quality that lasted nearly seven decades, from 1908 until the 1970s, thereby resulting in the loss of many native species. In recent years, recovery efforts have been initiated by numerous agencies to re-introduce selected fish and other aquatic species. Three species of darters (gilt darter Percina evides, bluebreast darter Etheostoma camurum, and blueside darter E. jessiae) were re-introduced into the river in 2001-03; re-introduction of a fourth species, the stripetail darter (E. kennicotti) began in 2003. Since 2002, these species have been monitored by snorkel surveys …

A Management Plan For The Imported Fire Ant (Ifa) Migration Into Gateway Communities In East Tennessee, Elizabeth Ann Long

Masters Theses

This thesis outlines a management plan for Gateway communities to use as a preparedness guide dealing with the establishment of the hybrid species of the Imported Fire Ant (IFA). The red species of IFA, Solenopsis invicta Buren, and the black species of IFA, Solenopsis richteri Forel, are located in southern Tennessee, but it appears that it is the hybrid species of their crossbreeding that is migrating into east Tennessee. The two species of IFA and their hybrid are moving north, both by natural migration and by being brought into the east Tennessee area on landscape plant materials and by the …

Ultrasound And Microwave Assisted Extraction Of Soybean Oil, Haizhou Li

Masters Theses

Soybeans, one of the world’s leading cash crops, contain appropriately 20% lipid. Currently, soybean oil is the principal vegetable oil used in the U.S. and the world market, totaling 29% of the world vegetable oil production in 2001. Development of extraction technology that could increase oil yield would thus significantly enhance the profitability of the soybean industry and reduce processing costs significantly. It has been shown that both ultrasound-assisted and microwave-assisted extraction methods can enhance extraction of phytochemicals from plant sources while reducing processing time and solvent consumption. However, little is known about how ultrasound and microwave can affect the …

Development And Impact Of Geocoris Punctipes (Say) (Hemiptera: Lygaeidae) On Selected Pests Of Greenhouse Ornamentals, Nicole D. Pendleton

Masters Theses

The big-eyed bug, Geocoris punctipes (Say) (Hemiptera: Lygaeidae), a generalist insect predator common in several agricultural systems, is explored as a biological control agent against pests of ornamentals in greenhouses. This research consists of three components: 1) Evaluation of development and survival of the predator (egg through adulthood) when reared on six diets, including greenhouse pests, a combination of greenhouse pests and plant material, and a meat-based artificial diet that has been developed for G.punctipes, 2) Assessment of predation rates of mass-reared big-eyed bugs by investigating the number of prey (three prey species common to greenhouse and ornamental crops) …

Determination Of 17Β-Estradiol And Estrone Concentrations In Runoff And Topsoil From Plots Receiving Dairy Manure, Angel Renea Peters Dyer

Masters Theses

Because of increasing concern about estrogenic compounds in animal wastes, the objective of this research was to measure 17β-estradiol and estrone concentrations in runoff and soil from plots fertilized with liquid dairy waste. Nine plots were established at The University of Tennessee Dairy Experiment Station located at Lewisburg, Tennessee, and dairy manure was applied to six of the nine plots in November, 2000. Three of the plots received manure at a rate sufficient to meet the nitrogen (N) requirement for winter wheat; three received manure at a rate sufficient to meet the phosphorus (P) requirement for winter wheat, and three …

Industrial Development Bonds In Knox County, Tennessee: An Analysis Of Their Impact On The Local Community, Timothy L. Leasure

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to create a methodology local governments could use in determining the impact of industrial development bonds on the local community. The areas of impact studied were water and sewer infrastructures and the cost of providing the services, highway capacities, property tax generation, and employment generation. Knox County, Tennessee was chosen as a general study area because of the interest local officials had in this topic and because data was readily accessible.

A cost/benefit analysis of the provision of water and sewer services, and impact analyses on infrastructure capacities, the property tax base and the …

A Study Of Trillium Cuneatum And T. Luteum, Alan B. Adams

Masters Theses

A systematic study was made of two taxa of the genus Trillium subgenus Phyllantherum. Morphological, biochemical, ecological, and distributional data were analyzed in order to reevaluate past taxonomic treatments of Trillium cuneatum and T. luteum.

Morphological studies revealed the similarities of the two taxa. It was noted that T. cuneatum exhibited great plasticity with respect to morphology, whereas T. luteum showed more homogenous features. This same relationship was noted with the flavonoids of the two taxa with T. cuneatum showing more variability than T. luteum. The chemistry of the two taxa was unique in that quercetin and kaempferol compounds identified …

The Effectiveness Of Montessori Sensorial Materials With Preschool Children, Dorothy Raney Chitwood

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to compare the perception and sensorimotor development of preschool children who used specific Montessori sensorial materials. Based on the literature, it was assumed that; 1. Because of the development and accentuation of form and tactile stimulation in the preschool child, extensive use of Montessori equipment designed in form for tactile and visual exploration and learning would influence development of visual perception. 2. With the perceptual-motor training of the Montessori sensorial materials, the subjects would make gains in fine motor coordination.

It was hypothesized that the gains in scores on the Marianne Frostig Developmental Test …

An Empirical Analysis Of Herzberg's Motivator-Hygiene Theory, Bob Vernon Harris

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate a relatively new and highly controversial theory of work motivation promulgated by·Dr.Frederick Herzberg . This theory, called the Motivator-Hygiene or Two Factor Theory, was based on information obtained using an open-ended, semi-structured interview technique. An extensive review of the literature indicated that all supportive studies were based on a similar technique; most studies using other techniques were non-supporting.

Using experience and information obtained in a pilot study, a 135-item performance specimen checklist was developed, validated, and administered to more than 100 students at a Tennessee vocational-technical training school. The test instrument was …

An Experimental Study Of Spinning Tension And Its Relation To Fiber Properties And End Breakage, Charles Busch Landstreet

Masters Theses

[From the Statement of the Problem - Abbreviated]:

The end-breakage rate is a function of many variables, some of which can be controlled and some of which cannot. Spindle speed, ring diameter, yarn number, yarn twist, and fiber properties are some of the controllable variables. Ring wear, traveler wear, and yarn irregularity are variables that cannot be controlled.

Experiments conducted in a spinning laboratory can be carried out under test conditions that are impossible to duplicate in a textile mill. The disadvantage is that to get reproducible results long-term experiments are required if conventional test methods are used. …

Baking Time And Watt-Hour Consumption In Baking Potatoes Wrapped In Aluminum Foil Shiny Side Out And Dull Side Out, Plain, And Oiled In A Range Oven, Rotisserie Oven, And Toast-R-Oven, Nancy Lou Lawson

Masters Theses

Aluminum foil is usually considered another aid to the homemaker in food preparation. The advantages claimed are that it reduces the time needed to cook the food and to clean the equipment after cooking. Some individuals recommend it as a means of heat retention. Does a foil wrapping on a potato give one a decided advantage in cooking time as compared to baking a plain or oiled potato? Does it make a difference which side of the aluminum foil is to the outside?

This study compares the baking time and energy consumed in baking potatoes wrapped in aluminum foil shiny …